Equal Access Act

From Conservapedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Aschlafly (Talk | contribs) at 19:03, October 17, 2010. It may differ significantly from current revision.

Jump to: navigation, search

The Equal Access Act (EAA) was passed in 1984 to end discrimination against Christian clubs in public school.[1] It is now used by homosexual activists to force school boards to allow pro-gay clubs in school.

The EAA prohibits public secondary schools with a "limited open forum" from discriminating against clubs on the basis of political, religious, philosophical, or other content of the speech.[2]

As explained by Straights & Gays for Equality v. Osseo Area Schs., 471 F.3d 908, 911 (8th Cir. 2006) (citations omitted):

A public secondary school creates a "limited open forum" whenever it "'grants an offering to or opportunity for one or more noncurriculum related student groups to meet on school premises during noninstructional time.'" Thus, a school's obligations under the EAA are "triggered" even if the school only permits one noncurriculum group to meet. Once triggered the EAA forbids a school from prohibiting other groups, based on the content of their speech, from having "equal access" to meet on school premises.

References

  1. 20 U.S.C. § 4071.
  2. Bd. of Educ. of the Westside Cmty. Sch. v. Mergens, 496 U.S. 226, 235 (1990) (citing 20 U.S.C. §§ 4071(a),(b))